Method and apparatus for maintaining user settings for over-the-air upgrades

ABSTRACT

A method and apparatus for performing a software upgrade are disclosed. The method determines a plurality of mobile endpoint devices affected by a wireless network access software upgrade, and schedules a deployment of the wireless network access software upgrade. The method transmits a notification to the plurality of mobile endpoint devices, wherein the notification is configured to cause each of the plurality of mobile endpoint devices to store user settings in a memory of each of the plurality of mobile endpoint devices. The method downloads the wireless network access software upgrade wirelessly to the plurality of mobile endpoint devices, wherein the wireless network access software upgrade is configured to cause each of the plurality of mobile endpoint devices to install the wireless network access software upgrade and to restore the user settings from the memory of each of the plurality of mobile endpoint devices.

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.15/043,877, filed Feb. 15, 2016, which is currently pending and is acontinuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/691,297, filed Apr.20, 2015, now U.S. Pat. No. 9,264,889, which is a continuation of U.S.patent application Ser. No. 14/331,027, filed Jul. 14, 2014, now U.S.Pat. No. 9,014,683, which is a continuation of U.S. Ser. No. 13/970,257,filed Aug. 19, 2013, now U.S. Pat. No. 8,781,458, which is acontinuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/626,076, filed Nov.25, 2009, now U.S. Pat. No. 8,515,412, all of which are hereinincorporated by reference in their entirety.

The present disclosure relates generally to wireless communicationnetworks and, more particularly, to a method and apparatus forpreserving and maintaining user settings during over-the-air upgrades ofwireless network access software of mobile endpoint devices, e.g.,cellular phones, mobile phones, smart phones and the like.

BACKGROUND

Wireless network operators may use Over-the-Air (OTA) procedures todeploy major wireless network access software and/or firmware upgradesto mobile endpoint devices (e.g., cellular phones, mobile phones, smartphones, and the like). However, since such OTA upgrades affect thesoftware/firmware operating at the lowest levels of the networkarchitecture (e.g., Open System Interconnection (OSI) Reference Modellevels 1-3), such OTA upgrades often cause the target device to lose alluser settings, causing inconvenience and frustration to affectedsubscribers/users. Consequently, network operators have not widely usedOTA procedures to deploy major wireless network access software and/orfirmware upgrades to mobile endpoint devices.

SUMMARY

In one embodiment, a method and apparatus for performing a softwareupgrade are disclosed. For example, the method determines a plurality ofmobile endpoint devices affected by a wireless network access softwareupgrade, and schedules a deployment of the wireless network accesssoftware upgrade to the plurality of mobile endpoint devices inaccordance with a schedule. The method transmits a notification of thedeployment of the wireless network access software upgrade to theplurality of mobile endpoint devices, wherein the notification isconfigured to cause each of the plurality of mobile endpoint devices tostore user settings in a memory of each of the plurality of mobileendpoint devices. The method downloads the wireless network accesssoftware upgrade wirelessly to the plurality of mobile endpoint devicesfor installation by the plurality of mobile endpoint devices, whereinthe wireless network access software upgrade is configured to cause eachof the plurality of mobile endpoint devices to install the wirelessnetwork access software upgrade and to restore the user settings fromthe memory of each of the plurality of mobile endpoint devices.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The teaching of the present disclosure can be readily understood byconsidering the following detailed description in conjunction with theaccompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 illustrates an exemplary network related to the presentdisclosure;

FIG. 2 illustrates an exemplary wireless access network related to thepresent disclosure;

FIG. 3 illustrates a flowchart of a method for deploying an OTA wirelessnetwork access software upgrade;

FIG. 4 illustrates a flowchart of a method for executing an OTA wirelessnetwork access software upgrade; and

FIG. 5 illustrates a high-level block diagram of a general-purposecomputer suitable for use in performing the functions described herein.

To facilitate understanding, identical reference numerals have beenused, where possible, to designate identical elements that are common tothe figures.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The present disclosure broadly discloses a method and apparatus formaintaining mobile endpoint device user settings during Over-the-Airnetwork wireless access software/firmware upgrades. For ease ofreference, the term software, as used throughout the disclosure, isintended to include both software and firmware. Although the presentdisclosure is discussed below in the context of a wireless accessnetwork and a packet network, e.g., an Internet Protocol (IP) MultimediaSubsystem (IMS) network, the present disclosure is not so limited.Namely, the present method and apparatus can be applied to any packetswitched or circuit switched networks.

To better understand the present disclosure, FIG. 1 illustrates anexample network 100, e.g., an Internet Protocol (IP) MultimediaSubsystem network related to the present disclosure. An IP network isbroadly defined as a network that uses Internet Protocol to exchangedata packets.

In one embodiment, the network 100 may comprise a plurality of endpointdevices 102-104 configured for communication with the core IMS network110 (e.g., an IP based core backbone network supported by a serviceprovider) via an access network 101. Similarly, a plurality of endpointdevices 105-107 are configured for communication with the IMS corepacket network 110 via an access network 108. The network elements 109and 111 may serve as gateway servers or edge routers for the network110.

The endpoint devices 102-107 may comprise customer endpoint devices suchas personal computers, laptop computers, IP phones, Personal DigitalAssistants (PDAs), cellular phones, mobile phones, smart phones, emaildevices, messaging devices, and the like. The access networks 101 and108 serve as a means to establish a connection between the endpointdevices 102-107 and the Network Elements (NEs) 109 and 111 of the IMScore network 110. The access networks 101 and 108 may each comprise aDigital Subscriber Line (DSL) network, a broadband cable access network,a Local Area Network (LAN), a Wireless Access Network (WAN), a cellularnetwork, a 3^(rd) party network, and the like. The access networks 101and 108 may be either directly connected to NEs 109 and 111 of the IMScore network 110, or indirectly through another network.

Some NEs (e.g., NEs 109 and 111) reside at the edge of the IMS coreinfrastructure and interface with customer endpoints over various typesof access networks. An NE that resides at the edge of a coreinfrastructure is typically implemented as an edge router, a mediagateway, a proxy server, a border element, a firewall, a switch, and thelike. An NE may also reside within the network (e.g., NEs 118-120) andmay be used as a SIP server, a core router, or like device.

The IMS core network 110 also comprises a Home Subscriber Server (HSS)127, a Serving—Call Session Control Function (S-CSCF) 121, a mediaserver 125, and an Application Server 112 that contains a database 115.A HSS 127 refers to a network element residing in the control plane ofthe IMS network that acts as a central repository of all customerspecific authorizations, service profiles, preferences, etc.

The S-CSCF 121 resides within the IMS core infrastructure and isconnected to various network elements (e.g., NEs 109 and 111) using theSession Initiation Protocol (SIP) over the underlying IMS based corebackbone network 110. The S-CSCF 121 may be implemented to registerusers and to provide various services (e.g. VoIP services). The S-CSCFinteracts with the appropriate service related applications servers(e.g., 112) when necessary. The S-CSCF 121 performs routing andmaintains session timers. The S-CSCF may also interrogate an HSS toretrieve authorization, service information, user profiles, etc. Inorder to complete a call that requires certain service specificfeatures, the S-CSCF may need to interact with various applicationservers (e.g., various VoIP servers). For example, the S-CSCF may needto interact with another server for translation of an E.164 voicenetwork address into an IP address, and so on.

The Media Server (MS) 125 is a special server that typically handles andterminates media streams to provide services such as announcements,bridges, and Interactive Voice Response (IVR) messages for VoIP serviceapplications. The media server also interacts with customers for mediasession management to accomplish tasks such as process requests.

The application server 112 may comprise any server or computer that iswell known in the art, and the database 115 may be any type ofelectronic collection of data that is also well known in the art. In oneembodiment, the application server 112 is configured to deployOver-the-Air (OTA) wireless network access software upgrades to mobileendpoint devices, as described below. Those skilled in the art willrealize that the communication system 100 may be expanded by includingadditional endpoint devices, access networks, network elements,application servers, etc. without altering the scope of the presentdisclosure.

The above IP network is described only to provide an illustrativeenvironment in which packets for voice, data and multimedia services aretransmitted on networks. The current disclosure discloses a method andapparatus for maintaining mobile endpoint device user settings duringOver-the-Air wireless network access software upgrades in an exemplarycommunication network (e.g., an IMS network) illustrated in FIG. 1 andas described below.

FIG. 2 illustrates an exemplary access network 200 suitable forimplementing embodiments of the present method and apparatus formaintaining mobile endpoint device user settings during Over-the-Airwireless network access software upgrades. For example, access network200 comprises a wireless access network 205. Access networks 101 and 108depicted in FIG. 1 may comprise, for example, a wireless access network,such as wireless access network 205. Wireless access network 205 isconfigured to facilitate communication between the mobile endpointdevices 220-222 (e.g., cellular phones, mobile phones, smart phones, andthe like) with other endpoint devices (not shown in FIG. 2) via othernetworks, such as the core IMS network 110. The link between the mobileendpoint devices 220-220 and the wireless access network 205 comprisesRF signals between the one or more base stations 250-251 and thewireless endpoint devices 220-222. Here only two base stations 250 and251 are depicted. However, it should be appreciated that the wirelessaccess network 205 may comprise any number of base stations dependingupon the size and needs of the network. In addition, although only threemobile endpoint devices 220-222 are depicted, it should be appreciatedthat any number of mobile endpoint devices may be serviced at the sametime by the wireless access network 205.

To manage the communications of multiple users serviced by the wirelessaccess network 205, the wireless access network 205 may comprise one ormore network elements. For example, the wireless access network 205 maycomprise one or more base station controllers (BSCs) for managing RFcommunication of the base stations 250-251. Although only one BSC 240 isdepicted in FIG. 2 it should be understood that any number of BCSs canbe deployed. For example, each base station 250-251 could be serviced byits own BSC. BSC 240 performs a variety of wireless network managementrelated tasks such as wireless channel assignments, determiningtransmission power levels, and controlling handovers from one basestation to another base station, and the like.

In one embodiment, wireless access network 205 includes at least onemobile switching center (MSC) 260. Among other functions, the MSC 260may maintain user profile records for users currently serviced by thebase stations within the portion of the wireless access network that isthe responsibility of MSC 260. For example, the MSC provides theinformation that is needed to support mobile service subscribers, suchas user registration and authentication information. The MSC may alsofunction as a media gateway and/or media gateway controller facilitatingcommunication between the wireless access network 205 and othernetworks. For example, in a typical circuit-switched wirelesscommunication systems, the MSC may connect the landline public switchedtelephone network (PSTN) system to the wireless communication system.Thus, the MSC 260 may be responsible for connecting calls from mobileendpoint devices 220-222 to other wireless users or to users on othernetworks such as the PSTN, VoIP networks, asynchronous transfer mode(ATM) or frame relay networks, etc via a network element 290.

In one embodiment, the wireless access network 205 may also include anapplication server 270, which may include a database 280. Theapplication server 270 may be configured to provide one or morefunctions supporting calls via the wireless access network 205. Forexample, application server 270 may comprise any server or computer thatis well known in the art, and the database 280 may be any type ofelectronic collection of data that is also well known in the art. In oneembodiment, the application server 270 is configured to deployOver-the-Air (OTA) wireless network access software upgrades to mobileendpoint devices, such as mobile endpoint devices 220-222.

Although the network elements comprising the wireless access network 205have been described as one or more discrete devices, it should beappreciated that the functionality described with respect to eachnetwork element is not limited to the particular device as described anddepicted herein. Rather, the embodiment of FIG. 2 is merely illustrativeof one wireless access network configuration that is suitable forimplementing embodiments of the present disclosure. Thus, any othernetwork elements providing the same functionality described herein withrespect to the wireless access network 205 would be equally suitable foruse in accordance with embodiments of the present disclosure. Inaddition, it should be noted that the wireless access network 205 may beexpanded by including additional endpoint devices, base stations, BSCs,MSCs, network elements, application servers, etc. without altering thescope of the present disclosure.

The wireless access network 205 is described to provide an illustrativeenvironment in which packets and signals for voice, data and multimediaservices are transmitted. The current disclosure discloses a method andapparatus for maintaining mobile endpoint device user settings duringOver-the-Air wireless network access software upgrades in an exemplarycommunication network such as the IMS network illustrated in FIG. 1and/or the wireless access network 205 as illustrated in FIG. 2. Inother words, the wireless network access software upgrades can beinitiated by an application server 270 residing in the wireless accessnetwork 205 or by an application server 112 residing in a core network110.

FIG. 2 also depicts a more detailed view of an exemplary mobile endpointdevice. In particular, mobile endpoint device 220 may comprise acellular phone, a mobile phone, a smart phone, and the like, and broadlyincludes a processor 232, various input and output devices 231 (such asa display, a keyboard, a speaker, a microphone, a touch screen, atransceiver, and so on) and a memory 233 including both internal memory234, such as RAM, ROM, a hard drive, etc., and external memory 235,which may comprise “accessory” memory such as a SIM card, micro SD card,flash memory, USB Memory Stick, Multi-Media Card, etc. In oneembodiment, wireless network access software upgrades may be downloadedOver-the-Air to the mobile endpoint device 220 from the wireless accessnetwork 205 via one of base stations 250-251 and executed by theprocessor 232. In addition, the mobile endpoint device 220 may beconfigured to maintain user settings in either internal memory 234 orexternal memory 235 during an OTA wireless network access softwareupgrade, as will be described in greater detail below in connection withthe illustrative methods depicted in FIGS. 3 and 4.

FIG. 3 illustrates a flowchart of a method 300 for deploying an OTAwireless network access software upgrade to mobile endpoint devices. Thesteps of the method 300 can be performed by any one or more of thenetwork components of the IMS core network 110 or the wireless accessnetwork 205. For example, one or more steps of the method 300 can beimplemented by the Application Server 112 or S-CSCF 121 in FIG. 1, orthe Application server 270, base stations 250-251, or base stationcontroller (BSC) 240 in FIG. 2. For example, one or more steps of themethod 300 can be implemented by a general purpose computer (e.g.,serving as an application server) having a processor, a memory andinput/output devices as illustrated below in FIG. 5.

The method begins in step 305. At step 310, the method initializes anOTA wireless network access software upgrade (hereinafter sometimesreferred to as “OTA software upgrade”). For example, in a network suchas wireless access network 205, the method may receive and queue awireless network access software upgrade for OTA deployment to aplurality of mobile endpoint devices 220-222.

In one embodiment, the wireless network access software may comprisesoftware pertaining to the OSI layers 1-3 (i.e., the Physical Layer, theData Link Layer and the Network Layer). For example, wireless networkaccess software may comprise software that enables: call registration,call setup and call termination, radio bearer or radio resourceconfiguration and reconfiguration, handover to carry the call from onecell to another, reporting radio link measurements from devices to thenetwork, feature activation between the device and the network, such asHSPA+ (High-Speed Packet Access) features or call type, such as AMR(Adaptive Multi-Rate), paging of wireless endpoint devices from thenetwork, PDP (Packet Data Protocol) context activation per APN (AccessPoint Name) and Quality of Service (QoS) requirements. Exemplaryupgrades to the wireless network access software may comprise anysoftware updates pertaining to a change in bandwidth capacity, a codecchange or a new codec, a new protocol, or a system information updateafter a network modification/update.

In one embodiment, the OTA wireless network access software upgrade maybe precipitated by the deployment of a new network resource such as anew base station or a new voicemail server. Thus, the network mayrequire that mobile endpoint devices connect to a new voicemail systemnumber after the network deploys the new voicemail server. The wirelessnetwork access software may also comprise software that enables networkpreferences. For example, the network may decide that some wirelessendpoint devices should connect to 2G legacy infrastructure first beforeallowing the devices to use 3G connections. In another embodiment, thewireless network access software pertains to roaming partner management,e.g., the wireless network access software may comprise an allowedroaming network list. The foregoing examples are given for illustrativepurposes only. Thus, it should be understood that embodiments aredirected to upgrades involving major/core system software pertainingonly to wireless network access. Specifically, embodiments of thepresent disclosure are intended to apply only to software that enablesthe interworking between a mobile endpoint device and the wirelessnetwork pertaining to the Open System Interconnection (OSI) levels 1-3(i.e., the Physical Layer, the Data Link Layer and the Network Layer).This is in contrast to user application upgrades, such as a new game ornew calendar/datebook application, for example.

In step 320, the method 300 determines a list of affected subscribers.For example, in a large wireless communications network with millions ofsubscribers, the network provider must account for the numerous types ofmobile endpoint devices. In one embodiment, the method will identify theaffected subscribers for a particular software upgrade. For example,certain types of software upgrade may only affect a subset of the totalnumber of subscribers, e.g., subscribers who own certain types ofphones, subscribers who own certain brands of phones, subscribersserviced by a particular set of base stations, subscribers who signed upfor service before or after a particular time, and so on. To illustrate,via OTA software upgrades, the wireless network provider may deploypatches or upgrades to only those mobile endpoint devices whose networkaccess software requires changes. Other devices, for example, devices ofa later manufacturing date, may already have the necessary functionalityand therefore do not need to receive the OTA software upgrade of thewireless network access software. To illustrate another example, in thecase where the network deploys a new resource, such as a new voicemailserver, the new server may be located in New Jersey and serve onlysubscribers/users currently within that state. Thus, any OTA wirelessnetwork access software upgrades related to connecting to the newvoicemail server would only affect subscribers in New Jersey and therewould be no need to deploy the OTA software upgrade to subscribers insay California.

In contrast, certain types of software upgrade may affect allsubscribers, e.g., features mandated by federal government regulations,or new features that are uniformly available to all subscribers and soon. Accordingly, at step 320 the method 300 compiles a list of onlythose subscribers/users whose mobile endpoint devices require the OTAwireless network access software upgrade.

At step 330, the method 300 schedules a time for deploying the OTAwireless network access software upgrade. For example, where a verylarge number of subscribers are affected by the same OTA wirelessnetwork access software update, simultaneously deploying the update toall affected subscribers may not be practical and may cause overloadingof network resources, thereby hampering network performance. Thenegative consequences may be especially acute during peak usage times.Thus, the method 300 may schedule the deployment of the OTA wirelessnetwork access software upgrade, e.g., during overnight hours when thenetwork is usually less loaded.

In one embodiment, the method may stagger the deployment schedule of theOTA software upgrade. For example, the method may schedule the OTAsoftware upgrade for users in sequential order, e.g., based upon theuser identification (UID), the area code of the mobile telephone number,and/or by geographic zones. For example, each base station in thenetwork, such as base stations 250-251, may be capable of supporting 100simultaneous OTA software upgrades and it is predicted that the OTAsoftware upgrade will require an average of 1 minute to download to eachmobile endpoint device. Therefore, the method may schedule successiveblocks of 100 subscribers at each base station beginning at 1:00 a.m.and continuing until 1:30 a.m. In this manner, up to 3,000 subscribersper base station may be upgraded during the scheduled time.

At step 340, the method 300 provides a notification (e.g., a textmessage, a recording, and the like) to the affected subscribers/users ofthe scheduled time for the OTA wireless network access software upgrade.In this manner, the method provides advance warning to the subscribersto lessen the inconvenience of the temporary disruption to service. Inaddition, the notification given by the method at step 340 allows amobile endpoint device receiving the notice to store/cache user settingsin preparation for the impending download and installation of the OTAwireless network access software upgrade. As mentioned above, in mobileendpoint devices, wireless network access software changes have thepotential of affecting (e.g., changing or deleting) user data orsettings during the upgrade/installation process, such as data orsettings that were previously configured or entered by the user.

In one embodiment, the mobile endpoint device stores the user settingsin an object-oriented list, with objects segregated and arranged byapplication which can be saved in a memory connected to or integral withthe mobile endpoint device. For example, mobile endpoint device 220 inFIG. 2 may store the object-oriented list in the internal memory 234 orthe external memory 235, depending upon the capacity of each memorytype, or user or network preferences. In one embodiment, the usersettings may comprise any one or more of a user's email settings,contact list, ringtones, voicemail or call forwarding preferences,voicemail or text message retention preferences, BLUETOOTHconfigurations, and/or passwords. In one embodiment, user settings aregrouped by application, each application comprising an object in anobject oriented list, with each object containing the user settings forthat application. For example, the user's BLUETOOTH settings will all bestored in one object, the user's call forwarding settings will all bestored in another object in the objected-oriented list, etc. Storing theuser settings in this manner enables an efficient restoration of theuser settings after the installation of the OTA wireless network accesssoftware upgrade.

In one embodiment, the notification provided by the method 300 at step340 may comprise a text or voice message sent to the affected mobileendpoint devices. For example, the notification may comprise a voiceannouncement that is played to the user during a voice call setup priorto connecting a call. In other words, when a user attempts to callanother user via his or her mobile endpoint device, the network willpresent a notification of the pending software upgrade before the callis connected. In this manner, the method increases the likelihood thatthe user will be informed of the pending software upgrade.

In step 350, the method 300 downloads the wireless network accesssoftware upgrade via OTA (wirelessly) to the affected mobile endpointdevices according to the schedule determined by the method in step 330.In one embodiment, the mobile endpoint devices are configured toautomatically install the downloaded wireless network access softwareupgrades. Thus, the user has no ability to disrupt the installation, andthe OTA software upgrade will be performed regardless of whether theuser desires the upgrade or not. This is necessary to ensure properfunctioning of the mobile endpoint device with the wireless accessnetwork. For example, if a wireless network access software upgradepertains to the deployment of one or more new Authentication,Authorization and Accounting (AAA) procedures, the network may not wishto leave the upgrade to the discretion of a user. For example, it mayafford an opportunity for the user to use a new service without properaccounting of charges for accessing the new service. In another example,if the upgrade is not properly installed on certain mobile endpointdevices, the network may have to deal with numerous error messages asmobile endpoint devices without the proper upgrades may fail inaccessing certain services, thereby leading to subscriberdissatisfaction.

In one alternate embodiment the method 300 may prompt a user to respond,e.g., via a text message or simply selecting an option presented to theuser, with a designated time to download and install the softwareupgrade. For example, the method may give the user a choice of any timewithin the next 24 hours to schedule the OTA software upgrade. The usermay then send a text message to a designated number simply providing hisor her preferred time, or pressing a button correlating to a selectionwhen the notification is presented to the user. If the user does notrespond, responds incompletely or incorrectly, or attempts to choose atime outside the designated window (e.g., outside the 24 hours beingoffered), the method 300 may schedule a default time for the OTAsoftware upgrade.

Following installation of the wireless network access software upgrade,a mobile endpoint device may then restore the saved user settings. Forexample, the wireless network access software upgrade may includeinstructions to the mobile endpoint devices, such as mobile endpointdevice 220, to retrieve user settings stored in memory 233, when theinstallation of the software upgrade is otherwise complete.Alternatively, a mobile endpoint device may be preconfigured to restoreuser settings stored in a memory upon completion of any OTA softwareupgrade. In one embodiment, a user may be prompted as to whether he orshe would like to restore the user settings prior to the mobile endpointdevice doing so. Thus, some users may actually decide to start with a“clean” device and discard all or a portion of the prior user settings.

At step 360 the method 300 receives confirmation from those mobileendpoint devices that have successfully installed the upgrade andrestored user settings. In one embodiment, the software upgrade includesinstructions to the mobile endpoint devices to transmit a confirmationof a successful installation of the software upgrade and restoration ofuser settings. In this manner, the method 300 may determine whether itis necessary to redeploy the wireless network access software upgrade toany mobile endpoint devices that have not confirmed successfulinstallation and restoration of user settings. This approach allows thenetwork to monitor the progress of the deployment of the OTA softwareupgrade across a multitude of affected mobile endpoint devices. Themethod ends at step 395.

FIG. 4 illustrates a flowchart of a method 400 for executing an OTAwireless network access software upgrade. In one embodiment, one or moresteps of the method 400 are performed at a mobile endpoint device, suchas one of the mobile endpoint devices 220-222. The method 400 begins instep 405.

At step 410, the method receives a notification of a pending OTAwireless network access software upgrade. For example, the method mayreceive a notice via a base station of the scheduled time for the OTAwireless network access software upgrade. In one embodiment, the noticeincludes information describing certain details of the upgrade. In thismanner, the method provides advance warning to subscribers/users tolessen the inconvenience of any temporary disruption to service.

In one embodiment, the notification received at step 410 may comprise atext or voice message. In one embodiment, the notice is provided to auser via a voice announcement that is played to the user during a voicecall setup prior to connecting the call. In one embodiment, thenotification indicates a scheduled time for the download of the wirelessnetwork access software upgrade. In another embodiment, the notificationmay request that a user respond, e.g., via text message or a selectionby pressing a button on a keypad or screen, with a designated time todownload and install the upgrade. For example, the notice may give theuser a choice of any time within the next 24 hours to schedule the OTAupgrade. The user may send a text message to a designated number simplyproviding his or her preferred time or simply picking a selectionpresented by the notification.

At step 420, having received advance notice of a pending OTA wirelessnetwork access software upgrade, the method 400 begins storing/cachinguser settings in preparation for the impending wireless network accesssoftware upgrade download and installation. In one embodiment, themethod stores user settings in an object-oriented list with objectssegregated and arranged by application, which can be saved in a memoryconnected to or integral with a mobile endpoint device. For example, themethod 400 may store the object oriented list in the internal memory 234or external memory 235 of a wireless endpoint device 220, depending uponthe capacity of each memory type, or user or network preferences.

In step 430, the method 400 receives an OTA wireless network accesssoftware upgrade. For example, the method may receive the OTA softwareupgrade from a wireless network 205 via base station 250.

At step 440, the method 400 executes/installs the wireless networkaccess software upgrade. For example, the wireless network accesssoftware upgrade is loaded into memory 233 (e.g., RAM) and executed bythe processor 232 at a mobile endpoint device. In some instances, theinstallation of the wireless network access software upgrade may requirea system restart, which can be triggered automatically.

At step 450, the method 400 restores user settings. For example, uponrestarting after successful installation of the wireless network accesssoftware upgrade at step 440, the method may retrieve stored usersettings from memory 233 and restore the user settings to the properlocations for use by the respective applications to which the usersettings pertain. As described above, in one embodiment the usersettings are stored in an object-oriented list, with each object storingonly user settings corresponding to one application type. Because theobjected-oriented list is configured in this fashion, the user settingsmay be efficiently restored.

At step 460, the method 400 sends a confirmation message indicating asuccessful upgrade. For example, the method 400 may send a confirmationmessage indicating a successful installation of the wireless networkaccess software upgrade and successful restoration of user settings tothe wireless network 205. The confirmation may be used by an operator ofthe wireless network to determine whether it is necessary to redeploythe OTA wireless network access software upgrade to any mobile endpointdevices that have not confirmed successful installation of the softwareupgrade and restoration of user settings. The method ends at step 495.

FIG. 5 depicts a high-level block diagram of a general-purpose computersuitable for use in performing the functions described herein. Asdepicted in FIG. 5, the system 500 comprises a processor element 502(e.g., a CPU), a memory 504, e.g., random access memory (RAM) and/orread only memory (ROM), a module 505 for deploying or executing an OTAwireless network access software upgrade, and various input/outputdevices 506 (e.g., storage devices, including but not limited to, a tapedrive, a floppy drive, a hard disk drive or a compact disk drive, areceiver, a transmitter, a speaker, a display, a speech synthesizer, anoutput port, and a user input device (such as a keyboard, a keypad, amouse, and the like)).

It should be noted that the present disclosure can be implemented insoftware and/or in a combination of software and hardware, e.g., usingapplication specific integrated circuits (ASIC), a general purposecomputer or any other hardware equivalents. In one embodiment, thepresent module or process 505 for deploying or executing an OTA wirelessnetwork access software upgrade can be loaded into memory 504 andexecuted by processor 502 to implement the functions as discussed above.As such, the present module 505 for deploying or executing an OTAwireless network access software upgrade (including associated datastructures) of the present disclosure can be stored on a computerreadable storage medium, e.g., RAM memory, magnetic or optical drive ordiskette and the like.

While various embodiments have been described above, it should beunderstood that they have been presented by way of example only, and notlimitation. Thus, the breadth and scope of a preferred embodiment shouldnot be limited by any of the above-described exemplary embodiments, butshould be defined only in accordance with the following claims and theirequivalents.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method for performing a wireless softwareupgrade, the method comprising: determining, by a processor, a mobileendpoint device affected by the wireless software upgrade; scheduling,by the processor, a deployment of the wireless software upgrade to themobile endpoint device in accordance with a schedule; transmitting, bythe processor, a notification of the deployment of the wireless softwareupgrade to the mobile endpoint device, wherein the mobile endpointdevice is for storing a user setting in a memory of the mobile endpointdevice responsive to the notification, wherein the user settingcomprises at least one password setting; and downloading, by theprocessor, the wireless software upgrade wirelessly to the mobileendpoint device for installation by the mobile endpoint device, whereinthe wireless software upgrade is for causing the mobile endpoint deviceto install the wireless software upgrade and to restore the user settingfrom the memory of the mobile endpoint device.
 2. The method of claim 1,further comprising: receiving a confirmation of a successfulinstallation of the wireless software upgrade and a successfulrestoration of the user setting from the mobile endpoint device.
 3. Themethod of claim 1, wherein the wireless software upgrade comprises asoftware that enables intercommunication between a wireless network andthe mobile endpoint device at a network layer.
 4. The method of claim 1,wherein the wireless software upgrade comprises a software that relatesto a radio bearer configuration.
 5. The method of claim 1, wherein theuser setting is stored in an objected-oriented list having a pluralityof objects, where each object of the plurality of objects is associatedwith an application.
 6. The method of claim 1, wherein the mobileendpoint device is a mobile phone.
 7. The method of claim 1, wherein thewireless communication protocol preference setting comprises apreference setting for a bluetooth protocol.
 8. The method of claim 1,wherein the user setting further comprises a contact list preferencesetting.
 9. The method of claim 1, wherein the user setting furthercomprises a ringtone preference setting.
 10. A non-transitorycomputer-readable storage medium storing a plurality of instructionswhich, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to performoperations for performing a wireless software upgrade, the operationscomprising: determining a mobile endpoint device affected by thewireless software upgrade; scheduling a deployment of the wirelesssoftware upgrade to the mobile endpoint device in accordance with aschedule; transmitting a notification of the deployment of the wirelesssoftware upgrade to the mobile endpoint device, wherein the mobileendpoint device is for storing a user setting in a memory of the mobileendpoint device responsive to the notification, wherein the user settingcomprises at least one password setting; and downloading the wirelesssoftware upgrade wirelessly to the mobile endpoint device forinstallation by the mobile endpoint device, wherein the wirelesssoftware upgrade is for causing the mobile endpoint device to installthe wireless software upgrade and to restore the user setting from thememory of the mobile endpoint device.
 11. The non-transitorycomputer-readable storage medium of claim 10, the operations furthercomprising: receiving a confirmation of a successful installation of thewireless software upgrade and a successful restoration of the usersetting from the mobile endpoint device.
 12. The non-transitorycomputer-readable storage medium of claim 10, wherein the wirelesssoftware upgrade comprises a software that enables intercommunicationbetween a wireless network and the mobile endpoint device at a networklayer.
 13. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim10, wherein the wireless software upgrade comprises a software thatrelates to a radio bearer configuration.
 14. The non-transitorycomputer-readable storage medium of claim 10, wherein the user settingis stored in an objected-oriented list having a plurality of objects,where each object of the plurality of objects is associated with anapplication.
 15. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium ofclaim 10, wherein the mobile endpoint device is a mobile phone.
 16. Thenon-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 10, wherein thewireless communication protocol preference setting comprises apreference setting for a bluetooth protocol.
 17. The non-transitorycomputer-readable storage medium of claim 10, wherein the user settingfurther comprises a contact list preference setting.
 18. Thenon-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 10, wherein theuser setting further comprises a ringtone preference setting.
 19. Amethod for performing a wireless software upgrade, the methodcomprising: receiving, by a mobile endpoint device, a notification of adeployment of the wireless software upgrade in accordance with aschedule; storing, by the mobile endpoint device, a user setting in amemory of the mobile endpoint device, wherein the user setting comprisesat least one password setting; receiving, wirelessly by the mobileendpoint device, the wireless software upgrade; installing, by themobile endpoint device, the wireless software upgrade; and restoring, bythe mobile endpoint device, from the memory the user setting afterinstalling the wireless software upgrade.
 20. The method of claim 19,further comprising: sending a confirmation of a successful installationof the wireless software upgrade and a successful restoration of theuser setting from the mobile endpoint device.